baD kARmA INk

December, especially as it starts to wind down and the new year looms overhead, starts to get busy.  There are at least ten separate ‘holiday’ days in and around the month of December.   It’s easy to identify the start of the holiday season.  It is when the stores start running sales to pull consumers in.   It is when people start caring for others more, with an increase in volunteer work or simply donating to a worthy charity.   It is when every musician totes out his or her own version of holiday songs and the airwaves becomes saturated with good cheer.

With an entire month of holiday classic carols, modern pop and country covers, irreverent novelty songs and familiar instrumentals, people could lose their minds trying to find something original.   Well, that’s where we here at bkI come in.  It is time to instill a little harmonic vicissitude.

What is harmonic vicissitude?  Well, glad you asked.   It is the concept that music is ever changing and that it is good to break out of the same old rut once in a while.  It is the idea that, if you keep your mind and eyes open, you might find enjoyment in some musical variants you may not have considered before.   During a season where the same old thing is toted out time and time again, it certainly doesn’t hurt to tweak the programming a bit.

What sort of musical mutations do we have for you?  Submitted for your approval below is a list of ten random holiday songs, given in no particular order.  Some you may identify as classics while others you might not recognize…but all are unique in its own fashion.  So, get comfortable and get a cup of your favorite holiday drink while listening to the following offerings.

10.  Barenaked Ladies featuring Sarah McLachlan – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings:  First in our random selection, a new twist on an old classic.   The acoustic guitars with the typical light-hearted performance style of the Barenaked Ladies make this usually sober carol a toe-tapping favorite.  Guest artist Sarah McLachlan adds extra depth to the intricate harmonies that helps to make the Barenaked Ladies a favorite band of former Beatle Paul McCartney.  When Sir Paul says that the Barenaked Ladies could outsing the Beatles, you tend to take notice.

9.  Weird Al Yankovic – Christmas At Ground Zero:  Quite possibly the most popular non-grandmother-killing Christmas novelty song of all time.  Only Weird Al could take a song about nuclear holocaust during the holidays and make it bright and happy.  Though I am not normally a fan of music videos in general, the video for this one is a must-see.  A montage of old film, television and news footage, it balances out holiday cheer with the paranoia that was ever-present during the Cold War.   Regrettably, due to the sensitivity of the term “Ground Zero” in modern society, this song isn’t as played as often on the air as it once was.  It will, however, always find a place within my holiday playlist.

8.  Louis Armstrong – Winter Wonderland:  A holiday classic, performed by one of the greatest jazz artists.  Armstrong’s instantly recognizable raspy voice carries over an understated backing orchestra, allowing the warmth of the vocals to come through.  The casual tempo gives the impression of actually walking through the snow, taking the time to enjoy the surrounding scenery.  This song has been done countless times before and after, but Satchmo’s version best conveys the wonder in the winter wonderland.

7.  August Burns Red – Carol of the Bells:  When it comes to holiday hard rock, there is more than just Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  August Burns Red, a Christian metalcore band from Lancaster, PA (yes, I did say Christian metalcore), entertains with this hard rock instrumental version of the Carol of the Bells.  This song was released in 2008 as part of the compilation album X Christmas, featuring artists mostly from the Tooth & Nail label doing their own versions of holiday songs.  It just goes to prove that hardcore music and religion do mix.

6.  AC/DC – Mistress for Christmas:  Considering the news stories circulating about Tiger Woods and his numerous infidelities, one wonders if Tiger is an AC/DC fan.  Released in September of 1990, The Razor’s Edge album included such hits as “Thunderstruck” and “Money Talks”.  However, the fifth track, “Mistress for Christmas”, seems as if it was written just for the beleaguered golfer.  With lead singer Brian Johnson rasping about having a good time with lots of money, and not being able to get the girl he wants, the lyrics seem practically ripped from the tabloids.  Perhaps Brian should have asked Tiger to share, with it being the holidays and all…

5.   John Lennon – Happy Christmas (War is Over):  Originally a war protest song about the Vietnam War, Happy Christmas was recorded in October 1971, using echoing vocals and a sing-along chorus featuring the Harlem Community Choir.  Re-released in the wake of John’s death in December of 1980, the song reached #3 in the UK, its highest ranking.  The message of peace (war is over, if you want it) is universal and perfect for the holiday season, allowing the song to rise above the simple protest it was meant to be to become a Christmas song staple.  A modern-day classic, still as poignant today as when it was first released.

4.  Thousand Foot Krutch – Jingle Bell Rock:  Another track from X Christmas, this version of Jingle Bell Rock is what would have happened if the original artist Bobby Helms and the band Avenged Sevenfold met up to record a song.  Thousand Foot Krutch, a Canadian Christian rock band, cranks out the music in hardcore style, including the obligatory screaming of the lyrics, driving guitar riffs and relentless bass beats.  Further proof that not all post-punk artists have to be anarchists.

3.  Run-DMC – Christmas in Hollis:  What can I say?  I’m a child of the 80′s, and this song appeals on so many levels.  This single, released in 1987 as part of the compilation album A Very Special Christmas, is classic Run-DMC.  Again, the music video is worth viewing.  Just check out that souped-up Simon game dishing out the scoop on who’s naughty and nice.  Also, if you’re paying attention, you’ll hear this song towards the beginning of the first Die Hard film.  Here’s a hint…in case you might miss it, listen to the radio in the limousine.  That driver Argyle has some good taste in music.

2.  The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York:  Also released in 1987, Fairytale of New York first appeared on the Pogues album If  I Should Fall from Grace with God.  Written in the style of a Irish folk ballad, the lyrics are a drunken man’s Christmas Eve reverie while sleeping off a binge in a New York City drunk tank.  The song turns to dream of a failed relationship,  both partners Irish immigrants with hopes of a new life in New York crushed by drug and alcohol addiction, with the two arguing on Christmas Eve in New York.  Kirsty MacColl’s melodious vocals contrast with the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan’s harsh voice, with the words exchanged ranging from bittersweet to just plain ruthless.  This song has re-entered the top 40 for the UK for every December since 2005, including placing in the top 10 for 3 years in a row, yet never has reached #1 in the UK.

1.  Bing Crosby – White Christmas:  You just cannot make it through the holiday season without hearing this perennial favorite at least once.  First released in 1941  on Christmas Day during the NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall, the song White Christmas was re-recorded in 1942, after the original recording was believed to be lost.  Yet, this version is still not the version most people are familiar with, as the song was re-recorded (or is that re-re-recorded?) in 1947 due to the 1942 version becoming damaged due to its frequent use.  It also won the Academy Award for best original song in 1942 for the film Holiday Inn.  It has gone on to sell  100 million copies, including all song versions and albums.  Not bad for a song that Bing first thought was nothing special.

And there you have it.   Ten random songs for the holidays.  However, it being the season of giving, here’s a extra present.  Check out Twisted Sister’s take on the classic carol Oh Come All Ye Faithful.  True, it is a thinly veiled holiday version of “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, but it is amazing just how well the two songs mesh together.  The music video even pokes fun at the similarities, with the woman doing a nearly direct lift of the rant from the father portrayed in the original hard rock video.  It’s cheesy, to be sure, but it is also fun, and the holidays could always use a bit of fun.

There’s a holiday song  somewhere that will bring a smile to the worst Scrooge out there.  It is just a matter of finding it.  Enjoy the search and, in the meantime, have a happy holiday season.